


Roses for love; daisies for loyalty

by Sweetnekocat



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-04 21:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15155978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetnekocat/pseuds/Sweetnekocat
Summary: Sanji was happy, nothing could faze him. He was getting married to the woman he loved. There wasn’t anything in the world that could ruin that for him and yet…His captain loving him didn’t seem to be a good omen for what was about to come.





	Roses for love; daisies for loyalty

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I wanted to write something short for this beautiful pairing but at the end...this happened!  
> It's set ten years later after they find the One Piece, so they are all grown up.  
> It's rather long but I hope you guys like it!

He wasn’t nervous for the next day. He had thought that it was going to be the most difficult to do in his life, but instead it was almost easy. It was actually really simple, all he had to do was say some vows and everything would be alright. He would be with the woman he loved and form a family. His days of piracy long forgotten, it just didn’t add up with how he wanted his life to be from now on.

He had changed a lot since he met Jane. She was special, different from other women. Sincere and honest to an extreme and gentle and caring for those she loved. When they had started their relationship Sanji had felt as if in heaven. It had been his first time entering a serious relationship; the rest had been only flings with beautiful women, but they lasted little.

With Jane things were distinct. She knew he was a free man and that he liked females a lot, so she never put an end to his flirting seriously. He was sure that she knew that she was the only one in his heart. He wished he could say that she was the only one in his mind though, for he didn’t know why he could never forget of his days with his captain no matter how hard he tried. He supposed that it was out of gratitude and for the many moments he spent with the man. It unsettled him, but he preferred to let those thoughts go and not pay too much attention to them.

He was marrying the best woman in the world and he was happy. Now all he had to say were those words and paradise would be his.

…………………………..

Since Jane was such an open minded person she didn’t mind allowing a stag party dedicated to Sanji. The man was beyond glad as he knew this was definitely his last chance to flirt with women and to have his fiancé’s permission for it made things simpler.

They had rented a hotel only for them and all the men he knew and was friends with were invited. Of course his crew was attending as well as the captains from the Straw hat grand fleet, the allies they had made at their adventures and the guys back at the Baratie. Zeff hadn’t wanted to come because for him it was unbecoming to see his boy trying to flirt with women.

The focus of the party were obviously the ladies since flirting was Sanji’s main goal after all. They had called every woman in town that wanted to assist and many had accepted the invitation.

So, the party was at its best at the moment and he was surrounded by all kind of women. They talked and he made many jokes and they laughed to every word he said. He was blissful to be honest. This would be his last time with another woman and while it made him feel sad he knew that his life would get better with Jane as his wife.

The rest of the men were happy with some women too and drinking rum and all types of alcohol, specially Zoro, though the guy was alone. The man was known for being a heavy drinker and that hadn’t changed at all.

Everyone was having a good time except for one person. When Sanji had stood up to get more refreshments for the ladies he had noticed that Luffy was by himself drinking beer. It was particularly weird for him to be that way since he was always the center of the party. The captain looked a mix of annoyed and nervous to the cook. He wondered why and was about to approach him when one of the women asked him to bring white wine for her. His attention snapped back to them and the state of the rubber man was completely forgotten.

Some time passed and he remembered that the man was acting strangely. He looked his way again and saw that he was now with Zoro. It seemed the swordsman was comforting him. Everything was even more off putting than before. Was his captain having some trouble? Was he sad about something? It made him worried, but he knew that Zoro would be capable to cheer him up some way since he was really good at reading his captain. It was odd but whenever those two got in what he liked to call their sentimental selves with each other he always felt out of place, like he wasn’t needed by either of them. It was like some sort of envy enveloped his heart but he couldn’t help but feel it. He decided it was best to leave them alone and resumed talking with the lovely females.

……………………..

Once again he stood up to get more drinks and he noticed that Luffy was now alone. Even if he had tried to forget the fact that the man was looking miserable for some unknown reason, it had proved to be impossible. He had thought that with Zoro’s help he would be able to get it over, but it seemed that it wasn’t the case.

He approached the man determined to find out what was bothering him. He came closer and waved his hand as if to say hi. The man made an attempt to smile but it came out as a grimace. What was wrong with Luffy?

He sat down next to the captain in some of the couches the hotel had. The man looked at him puzzled but didn’t say anything. Sanji began talking though.

“Enjoying the party?” He said with a small smile to liven up the guy.

“Yeah, it’s really good” The rubber man said with a small smile, but that looked totally fake in Sanji’s perspective. He didn’t want to waste his time with this so he went straight to the point.

“I don’t see you doing so well, though” He declared and the man almost shuddered. He continued, “Is something going on? Some problem? You can tell me, you know?”

The younger male sighed and said that it was nothing. He wasn’t having any of it though; he knew the man was hiding something and he was resolved to find out what it was.

“I saw Zoro talking with you. It looked as if he was trying to cheer you up” He stated calmly, and then added, “So, that’s why I’m asking if there’s anything wrong”

The rubber man looked at him and something flashed in his eyes. It was like he was seriously thinking if it was a good idea to tell him anything.

“I just feel a little weird for some reason” He took a deep breath and continued, “It’s like I’m sad but I don’t know why”

To this Sanji was surprised. The man was never one to be unhappy or gloomy, quite the contrary, so he didn’t know exactly what to say. He had always thought that his captain would be forever happy after finding the One Piece and becoming the Pirate King, but it seemed that it wasn’t that way.

They stayed quiet for some time and Luffy averted his eyes from him.

“You don’t need to worry, though” He forced a smile and then said, “There’s nothing that good rum can’t cure!” He exclaimed as if trying to find strength out of thin air.

“I’m not too sure about that, but if you need anything you can tell me” He told the man simply and encouraged him to keep talking about his problems.

“You have your wedding tomorrow. You should be having fun while you can” He laughed a little and it seemed he was feeling better, but something was telling Sanji that it was the exact opposite. He wanted to ask again if he was indeed feeling well, but the man told him that he wanted to take fresh air. He left Sanji alone with his thoughts.

…………………………..

The cook was again with the women and he realized that one of them had come incredibly close to him. It was obvious she was flirting back with him. He didn’t want to cheat on Jane at all so he decided it was best to get away from her fast. The lady didn’t seem too pleased with him choosing to leave the chairs they were sharing at in the group, but he didn’t care; he had to be faithful to his fiancé.

He opted to check on Luffy again and went outside the hotel. He was easy to find since he was seated in a bank under a tree.

The hotel was really big and had a park in the front that also led to the backyard. It was really beautiful and they were the only ones using it for the time being so inside people were wreaking havoc. No one was outside except for them.

Luffy didn’t seem to notice him until he seated next to him in the bench. He looked at him once again confused, but didn’t say anything to him. He was holding a big bottle of rum. It was half empty. It was really huge so he wasn’t sure how the man had drunk all of it. He didn’t even know that Luffy liked to drink that much. It was probably Zoro’s fault, he thought bitterly. Ever since they had found the One Piece ten years ago they had parted ways and changed in different ways and he had to admit that it made him feel rather sad. Now they were thirty four and thirty two each and he felt that there were so many things he still didn’t understand of his captain. Now it seemed that those things he couldn’t decipher in the time they were together were only piling up to more.

He noticed that while he was busy thinking about things and facts he couldn’t change, the man had been staring at him the whole time. For some reason he felt nervous. The rubber man seemed to take notice of it and looked straight ahead of him. He drank again from his bottle and offered it to Sanji. The cook refused and they remained quiet.

He didn’t know how to break the ice and make the man talk. With his help maybe he could find out why he was feeling blue. He sighed and thought that it was best to speak with him if he wanted to aid him with whatever that was troubling him.

“Let’s go for a walk” He suggested with a grin.

They began walking through the park and before they knew it they were in the back of the house. They hadn’t said a word while they were perambulating.

They reached another bank and seated there. Luffy took the chance to gulp more alcohol. It worried Sanji that he would end up drunk but it didn’t seem it would be the case.

Sanji opted that it was best to talk with the man immediately.

“So, what’s making you so sad anyways?” He asked but was worried he would annoy him for insisting with the theme.

“I’m not too sure, really” It was clear he was lying and hiding something, but seeing the man he respected so much suffering was something he couldn’t withstand, so he decided to try again.

“You can tell me. I won’t judge you” He said reassuringly.

The Pirate King looked at him and took a deep breath as if taking courage.

“I feel kind of sad when I think about your marriage” He said feeling guilty.

The blond man was perplexed. Why would he feel that way about his wedding? They were crewmates, but more important than that they were friends and the man being sad thinking of it hurt him. He was going to be happy with Jane and the fact that the captain was somehow against it was really painful.

“Why?” He inquired worriedly. Depending of the answer they might even stop being friends. This was something serious. If it was about him not liking Jane or something selfish he would have to put an end to their friendship. The thought alone made his heart falter.

“I don’t know. When I think about it my heart hurts” He confessed with shame lacing his words.

The older man was baffled. He noticed that blood rushed to his ears and left him feeling numb. He couldn’t believe what he was listening. There were many reasons as to why he could feel hurt but there was a latent option he didn’t want to consider at all. That one possibility made his heart skip a beat and his palms started to sweat.

“Please elaborate on it” He was desperate for an answer that would be different to his worst fears. “Please” He repeated.

“At first I had thought that it was about not being able to travel the world with you anymore, but it doesn’t seem right” He said obviously in pain. He continued, “I also thought that maybe I didn’t like Jane, but she’s so nice that I know it isn’t that. To be honest I’m not sure what’s troubling me so much” He closed his eyes and clenched his fists at his sides and then spoke, “I just can’t picture you married. It makes me so sad, Sanji”

The words were so sincere and filled with sorrow, the kind that you never find Luffy saying. Sanji was sure now. The captain apparently liked him more than he was willing to admit and accept. It was unbelievable. He knew his eyes were bigger than usual and that he needed to say something but he was too astonished and anxious about where this was all leading to. His throat was dry and he needed something to drink. He took the bottle from the man’s hands and gulped a good amount of the remaining alcohol. It gave him courage as most of the time liquor did.

“You’re saying that you like…me?” He stuttered a little and felt as his heart beat rapidly inside his ribcage.

“No” He said but he looked so unsure of it. He added, “Zoro says it’s like that, but I’m not sure really. I have never fallen in love” He declared with obvious embarrassment in his demeanor.

Then it was like that. How could they go from being the best friends they were to this? Zoro wasn’t known for being an expert in love issues but he practically had a degree on understanding Luffy, so there was no denying it anymore. It was set in stone. There was no turning back from this situation.

“If the moss head is saying it, then I guess it’s true” He said grieved. “What a good day to confess you chose, Luffy” He stated ironically. He was so annoyed right now with the man. Why did he have to make things complicated when everything was going so well?

“It’s not like that. I told you I’m not sure” He said looking irked.

“I know about these things, captain. Even if you don’t understand how this works, to me it’s obvious” He looked at the man with confidence in his voice.

The thing was that while he was indeed irritated about the whole ordeal, he also felt something inexplicable. The more he thought about Luffy and the problem that arose just recently, the more he felt how a veil was lifted from his eyes. Since when did the captain feel this way? He knew that even if he was one hundred percent sure that the man felt something more than friendship for him, there were still possibilities that he had gotten this all wrong since he didn’t understand the devil fruit user completely. Thinking that he was wrong made extremely uneasy and somehow he felt as he was pushing the idea onto Luffy. He didn’t like one bit what that meant.

“What makes you so sure anyways? I’m telling you that I don’t know!” He said while looking directly in his eyes.

“Then what other reason do you have to hate that I’m getting married? You’re jealous, Luffy” He was starting to get louder with each statement.

“I don’t hate it! I’m just sad. And I’m not jealous!” He exclaimed.

“It’s the same! I don’t see why you would be sad if you don’t like me as you say” He was starting to get really angry with how stubborn Luffy was being.

“You make it sound like you want me to feel that way! Is that what’s going on?” Sanji’s eyes widened while Luffy searched for something in his gaze.

“Of course not. Everything would be so much better if you didn’t have feelings for me” To the cook’s ears it sounded insincere, but he wasn’t going to admit it.

“I already told you: I don’t know if it’s like that” He said rather desperate.

“You don’t know what love is like. You’re a grown man and you have no idea” Sanji declared with spite.

“Then tell me what is love! Show me or something!” The rubber man yelled. He was furious now, his breathing ragged. He stood up while he was shouting.

Sanji was seeing red. He stood up too and said, “How can I show you? Am I supposed to teach you?” The situation was transforming into a fight and while he didn’t want it to be like that he couldn’t control himself with his words anymore.

They were in front of each other and their eyes were locked. Everything was blurry now. None of them knew what to say or do. Both were clearly annoyed and they didn’t know how to proceed with what was transpiring. They were in unknown territories, never having talked about feelings this deep.

They continued some more time like that until Luffy made move to go back to the other side of the park. He took his bottle of rum and when he was about to leave, Sanji said, “We aren’t done here, Luffy”

The man turned back and with sadness in his eyes said, “What else do you want? Even if I do like you what are you going to do?”

The captain kept going his way, but Sanji couldn’t leave the subject alone. He needed answers. He got closer to Luffy, took his arm to make him turn around and put the bottle the rubber man was holding in the floor. The man was scowling almost as if he was an enemy, but it didn’t have any effect on Sanji. He was too used to see it on the guy’s face so he didn’t feel intimidated in the least.

“Why are you looking at me that way? I’m not going to do anything”

“That’s exactly the problem, isn’t it? You’re not going to do anything so just leave me alone” Luffy said with pain in his features. “I can handle how I’m feeling just fine”

“No, you clearly don’t. If it were like that then you wouldn’t look so miserable” He voiced with worry.

“Who told you I’m miserable. Don’t pity me!” He exclaimed annoyed. His eyes were the ones of a beast.

“I don’t have pity for you! I just want to know how you feel!” He took the man by the collar and put him to see him eye to eye.

Before he knew it, Sanji felt arms around his neck and a pair of lips kissing him fiercely. He didn’t know what possessed him but he was kissing back the same way Luffy was doing it: with a passion and intensity that was hard to believe.

He couldn’t think. The sensations he was feeling were too much. His mind was clouded by emotions that bloomed inside him and couldn’t control them even if he wanted. All thoughts that this was the worst possible outcome were thrown out of the window. He only had mind for Luffy and how good it felt to have him so close to him, kissing him like no one had.

They separated to breathe and he was in cloud nine. Who could have thought the man kissed so well? His thoughts were fumbling and he couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t Luffy. His captain had managed to drive him crazy with just one kiss. He felt completely naked under the strong stare the man dedicated to him, it made it impossible for him to think straight. He wanted more of the Pirate King. No, he needed more. He got close once again and when was about to capture his lips the man put a hand in his chest to stop him.

“You have a fiancé. But now both you and I know how I feel” He said as if something terrible had happened and it actually was.

Sanji stood there not knowing what to do. He got angry at himself for being so stupid. How could he have allowed this to happen? He had cheated on Jane. He wanted to blame Luffy for everything, but he had responded back so the fault was his too. Nevertheless, since he was desperate and scared about all that had occurred he said what came first into mind.

“Why did you do that? You could have just told me!” He cleaned his lips with his sleeve as if that could erase everything that had befallen.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think things through” He apologized and then added, “Forget everything about it. It will never happen again”

“Of course it’s never going to repeat! All of this was a mistake” He said as if disgusted.

Luffy noticed the way the cook had said the last phrase and sadness flickered through his eyes. He took his bottle from the floor and headed by the path they had taken before to the entrance.

Because Sanji felt so guilty about cheating on his girlfriend he couldn’t help but to say one last thing, “Don’t ever show your face to me”

“Don’t worry, I won’t” Luffy said with so much sorrow that Sanji felt instantly culpable. It wasn’t enough to make him deny what he had just said though.

And with that he parted ways with his captain.

…………………………..

He woke up with a headache. He had left all the women behind after his fight with Luffy and had headed to sleep directly. He had managed to just doze off since sleep seemed to be impossible to attain. He couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened last night. The words, the kiss, the emotions, the feelings, they flooded through his thoughts unstoppably. He knew he was marrying the most wonderful woman in the world and yet all he could think about was Luffy. His captain saying he didn’t want him to get married, his captain confessing that it hurt him, his captain kissing him like there was no tomorrow, his captain going away and looking sorry and sad. He felt so guilty for being unfaithful to his fiancé, so bad for saying those things to the man. He wasn’t even sure what he felt worst about.

Someone knocked on the door and he got up to see who it was. He opened the door and it was Zoro who was waiting for him.

“Do you know where Luffy is?” He asked without preamble.

“Good morning. How are you? I’m doing well” Sanji said sarcastically.

“Don’t play dumb with me” The man scowled. “I know you were with him last night. Now he is nowhere to be found”

“He isn’t in the hotel?” Asked Sanji feigning ignorance. He knew the rubber man probably left after their fight. He was torn between feeling bad for being so severe with him and feeling happy to not see his face. If he were to lay eyes upon him he knew he would crumble.

“No, he isn’t” The man narrowed his eyes at him. It was obvious he wasn’t buying his act at all. “You know he was feeling bad and I’m sure you know why”

He kept his gaze locked with Zoro’s, but he was feeling very vulnerable under his scrutiny. He didn’t know what to do either. Was it better to tell him the whole truth? Or would it be better to just remain quiet and keep the secret? He thought for a while and after deliberating for some seconds decided that it would be easier to just speak with what was real. Even if he wanted to tell the man to mind his own business, he knew better since when it came to Luffy, Zoro would always have his back, no matter the circumstances. It was the way they worked. Captain and first mate. It always made him feel uneasy, but now it was even worse.

“We fought. I imagine he left. He isn’t going to come back” He stated those facts rapidly.

“Did you say something to him?” Zoro asked worriedly.

“Yes. I don’t think we’ll ever be friends again” Those words shattered his heart. He tried to keep the composure but it was proving to be difficult. He couldn’t break down in front of this annoying man. He couldn’t show him this weakness.

The swordsman seemed lost on what to do. After some time he came to a conclusion and said, “I’m going to look out for him”

He left the man alone and Sanji was able to close the door. He let his body touch the floor heavily. He passed a hand through his blond hair and let out a sigh. Some thoughts of the previous night and ideas to solve his problem entered his mind. The most outrageous of them was the one where to call off the wedding, tell Jane that he had kissed his captain and that he had enjoyed it like nothing else was a good idea. He shook his head. He couldn’t do that to the woman. She was too good for him really.

He decided it was best to take a shower and get ready for the wedding. It was going to be held in a church in the town at noon and it was still just nine o’ clock. He still had time. He didn’t want to eat though. He felt as his stomach was completely unsettled, nothing would be able to pass through it.

When he was ready and dressed for the wedding he looked at the mirror. He tried to smile to his reflection but nothing really came. He was feeling like trash and there was nothing that could help him get over this feeling of helplessness he had. He had been so stupid. Why did he have to approach Luffy in the first place? Everything would be better that way. He wouldn’t have found out about Luffy’s feelings and they wouldn’t have kissed either. Now everything was ruined; he had cheated on his wife to be, his dream woman, and had ended a friendship that had lasted for more than ten years. Something always went wrong with his weddings apparently and somehow Luffy was all time involved in it.

He was feeling miserable alone in his room when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it and saw that it was Zeff. He let the man come inside and closed the door. The older cook looked unsure of what to say. He coughed a little and took a deep breath to start speaking.

“You know that you can’t flirt with women anymore, right?” He said as a matter of fact.

“Of course I know that. I made sure I had a great time yesterday” Sanji said through a fake smile. He hoped the man wouldn’t notice that something was off with him. The thought of last night’s events was unbearable. Anguish and distress were surrounding his entire soul and if he let it slip past him he knew he wouldn’t be able to contain himself anymore.

The man looked at him intently and whistled. Then he said with a sad smile, “Are you sure you want to marry?”

Was he that obvious of how insecure he was about marrying Jane now? Was it that evident that he was completely broken? He wanted to tell his father, his real dad, that everything was okay, that this was all he had ever wished, all he had ever dreamed, but none of that came and instead a sob came from his lips. His eyes watered soon and he put a hand to his face to try to hide the shame that was visible in his countenance. He couldn’t hold it anymore. It took one look and one sentence for his father to find out that his son was completely torn.

He felt a hand in his shoulder and Zeff saying that it was okay, but it wasn’t and it would never be. He had broken Luffy’s heart and his own by saying those awful things and if he decided to cancel the wedding he would break Jane’s as well. Was he that bad with relationships? He never imagined being in this situation so he didn’t know how to handle it. He needed guidance to pull through with what was about to come.

“No, crap geezer, it isn’t okay” He said and without thinking it twice, stated, “Yesterday I kissed someone else and now I think it’s better to call off the marriage cause I…enjoyed it too much” He couldn’t look the man at eye for he knew there was going to be reproach in them.

“So what? That was your stag party. It probably didn’t mean anything, right?” He looked at Sanji in a carefree way. What he found in his son’s face was complete torment. “Or maybe it did” He said after understanding that the situation was grave for the younger cook.

“I keep thinking about it. I just can’t stop” He said while shaking his head.

“Was it that much of a good kiss?” The old man tried to joke to cheer up the blonde. The cook shook his head again. Even if it had been the greatest kiss he had ever had it wasn’t necessarily about that; no, it was something else entirely. He began again suspecting that it was probably something different to what he had first thought. “Was it with someone special?” Sanji nodded.

He didn’t want to tell the man who it was that left him feeling that way, so he didn’t say anything for a while and let the man do the questioning. The older cook sighed heavily and after thinking for a moment asked, “Was it Luffy?”

Sanji’s eyes widened to impossible measures. How had he known? Was the man reading his mind?

“How do you know?” He inquired anxiously.

“A parent knows when their sons are head over heels for someone” He stated simply with a small smile to calm Sanji since he was clearly freaking out.

“It isn’t like that. It’s just that he’s my captain and I can’t believe he feels that way for me” He tried to reason with the man, but he only looked at him not convinced at all.

“Come on, little eggplant! You just told me you enjoyed it too much. Why do you think that was?” He said as if annoyed that the man was being so stubborn.

“Even if it was like that, which it isn’t, I can’t do anything about it. I’m with Jane and I can’t make her suffer” He said with resolution, but surrendered to his destiny.

“And being in love with someone else is going to make her happy?” Zeff said trying to make Sanji understand that it wasn’t a good idea to keep up the farce.

“I’m…not in love with Luffy, geezer. I just respect him a lot” He said but his words were laced with fear that it might not be the case.

“Sure thing. Cause respect is something you show by smooching people, right?” He said ironically. Sanji didn’t like one bit the tone the man had used.

“It was only a one-time thing. Nothing more” In his head things were getting more organized. He knew what he had to do. He had to forget about what had happened, stop crying, go to the church to say those simple words, and get married to the woman he truly loved. No matter what the old man said he was definitely not in love with his captain. There was no way.

He cleaned his eyes with his sleeve and went to the mirror to arrange his tie. The older cook looked at him funnily and asked, “You look better. Ya decided on something?”

“Yes, I’m marrying Jane”

The man shook his head and left the room and Sanji alone as the blond cook braced himself for what he was going to do.

…………………………………..

He got to the church half an hour earlier to the ceremony. Since it was typical for the groom to wait for the bride he counted the minutes expectantly, anxious for what was about to happen. He stood outside the church for about twenty minutes before noon saluting the people that were attending the wedding. All of them gave him their congratulations for the marriage. He tried to receive them with a smile, but it was strenuous to do so. It was too difficult to keep the thoughts about his captain away from his mind so he spaced out most of the time. Zeff was with him in the front shaking hands with the men and women that were going to witness the union.

When the time came for the groom to enter the church and wait at the altar for the bride he was sweating cold. The priest that was going to marry them gave him a once over and smiled at him, then commented that it was normal to be nervous in this situation since it was life changing. He didn’t want to say anything, his throat feeling dry from all the restlessness he felt.

The people that were outside began coming inside the church and started seating in the chairs that were installed for the event. The left side of the benches was used by the people he knew and the right one by the ones accompanying Jane. Since to him the Straw hat crew was like family they were seated at the very front next to Zeff, his father. Across them were seated the parents of the woman and her sisters. Everyone was ready at their positions, the only ones missing being Luffy and Zoro.

The crewmates looked everywhere for them but it was to no avail. Nami came close to him and asked for the ceremony to be stopped until they could find them. He didn’t say anything and she took it as he didn’t care, frowning.

When it was about five minutes before noon Zoro appeared dressed for the wedding. The navigator asked what had taken him so long and where in hell was Luffy. The swordsman answered that he had gone out looking for the captain and that he had found him, but he had said that he couldn’t assist since he had something else to do at the moment. Nami got incredibly mad and began asking the man what could be more important than the cook’s marriage. He shrugged and shook his head to show that he didn’t have any idea. To Sanji that was a lie and it was even possible that the man hadn’t even found Luffy in the first place. If that was the case then it was generous of the green haired man to attend for he thought that there were high chances of the swordsman not coming at all.

He was so worried about the captain not coming as he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to see him after everything that had happened. He was so unfocused in what was going on in front of him that he totally missed the entrance of Jane. When the woman was almost at the half of the aisle he noticed her. She looked stunning. With a deep breath he decided that he was making the right choice.

She was wearing a beautiful white wedding dress that was tight in the upper part of her body and fell to the ground widely covering her feet. The veil covered her face and it was so long in the back that it touched the floor if left alone. Her younger cousins were taking the cloth from behind so she could walk.

When she got to the altar the cousins left her and she positioned next to Sanji. They were looking at each other and the cook offered her a smile and said that she looked gorgeous. Then he uncovered the veil and saw the woman’s expression. It wasn’t exactly happy, if anything it looked quite sad. She smiled at him, but the impression that she wasn’t feeling all too good was obvious. He preferred to think that it was because she was nervous.

The churchman coughed a little and made the attendants stand up. He began the ceremony and started talking about the things that made a marriage what it was and the usual obligatory steps to get married. The man spoke a lot about the responsibilities that came as a couple and every word he said related to loyalty and faithfulness struck Sanji like punches in the gut. They were making him lose confidence in that this was the right option, since to him cheating on Jane one night before the wedding was completely unexpected and uncalled for. He felt as if this was the worst case scenario; he was getting cold feet and felt incredibly guilty for what he had done. In his head thoughts of his captain and the kiss still remained, engraved in his memory not wanting to let go at any time. His imagination was playing him dirty, providing him with pictures of Luffy coming to oppose to the wedding like he had done back at Whole Cake Island. He was such a coward that he didn’t have the bravery enough to cancel the ceremony himself.

The event went on and on and the only thing that was separating him from being actually married to Jane was the vows. He had spent the entire time half distracted thinking about Luffy and how he was a bad person for cheating on Jane, and half listening to what the priest had to say. The bride kept looking at him with a worried expression on her face. He took her hand to reassure her that everything was alright.

Then the priest began with the most important rite to get married. He asked for them to announce their vows. First he directed for Sanji to start. The cook had made a special speech for the transcendental moment but forgot all about it, so he decided to go for the usual. He looked at Jane and began speaking.

“I take you, Jane, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part” He stated with all the love he could muster. To him it was incredible how he had actually managed to say more than two words without stuttering. It was true his mind was elsewhere.

The woman was also looking at him, she smiled and began talking.

“I take you, Sanji, to be my husband, to have and…and” She stopped and started crying. The people in the church cheered her up since it looked like she was too nervous or emotional over the marriage. She put a hand to her mouth and then said the unbelievable.

“I can’t do this, Sanji. I’m so sorry”

The whole place went silent. He looked at her astonished and not quite understanding what she had said. Before he could ask her anything she took the wedding dress by the sides and rolled a little the fabric to begin running through the aisle and out of the church. Sanji didn’t have words for what just had happened. He started yelling at Jane to stop and tried to run after her but was stopped by the woman’s mother. She gave him a look filled with pity and shook her head as if indicating that it was over.

He felt as Zeff came closer and hugged him. He also registered how Nami was by his side drawing circles in his arm in a soothing way, saying so many times sorry it was almost making him dizzy. He didn’t know exactly when the whole crew were by him hugging him. Even Zoro was there giving him support.

Some time passed and everyone that wasn’t close to he left the church. The first ones to abandon the place were Jane‘s relatives and friends. The next to leave the temple were the many pirates he had met over the years. He had been able to listen to a few words of what people said. Most of them were extremely sorry for him, some blamed the bride for being selfish and leaving him at the altar, but he couldn’t care less about that. Why had Jane done this? Did she know how confused he was about the wedding? Did she know about what had happened with Luffy? No, it was impossible. No one had seen them and it had been too close to the ceremony for her to find out. She had left for other reason and whatever it was he wished to at least know the truth. He could respect her decision; in fact it was probably the best since he had been unfaithful both in body and mind. He deserved what had happened, but it didn’t make it any less painful.

The priest waited a little and then got close to him to offer him some peace that he knew was never going to come. His crew moved to the hotel they were staying since it was different than the one of the stag party. He let them lead him through the streets since he didn’t know what to do. Everything was ruined and somehow it wasn’t his fault.

They got to one of the rooms and brought him water with sugar to help him calm down. He wasn’t restless, he was only hurt. His heart hurt so much, but for some reason he felt as if a heavy weight was lifted from his chest and shoulders. He preferred not to think it as he being relieved, opted not to think about the person that had invaded his mind like a bomb, exploding throughout his soul and heart.

…………………………..

A month had passed since the crashing of the wedding. He had left Jane’s town the same day it had happened on Zeff and his friends’ advice. It was probably better that way, it would ease his disturbed mind and help him see things with perspective, understand what had gone wrong to maybe later ask Jane what had happened. He hoped for reconciliation, but the crew and the older cook warned him to not get his expectations too high since he didn’t know about the woman’s real feelings and thoughts.

After a week he had tried to get back to the city, but his friends had stopped him from doing so. They had told him to wait more time, that he wasn’t ready for whatever she could say. It was difficult, but he did as he had been advised. Now some time had gone by and he felt more secure, less vulnerable than the first days. He was prepared for what could come; maybe words he wouldn’t be able to understand or something he might like.

He had traveled back to town with kind words from his friends. Most of the crew had stayed at least two weeks with him to help him overcome the pain he was feeling.

He took a deep breath at the entrance of the pastry shop where Jane worked. When they had first met, three years ago, he had been visiting the town that was in an island, under the recommendation of a friend of his that said the place served one of the best cakes in the world. When he had seen her attending some buyers his eyes had transformed into hearts and his heart had practically jumped from his ribcage. He soon learned that she was perfect for him. She had noticed the look he had but had only laughed gently. He waited for her to finish with the shoppers and immediately asked what her name was. She had answered that it was Jane. He questioned if she was owner of the shop and she had said yes. He told her that he had never seen such a beautiful woman and she smiled at him genuinely. Then he commented her that he had come because her cakes were famous, she served some for him and he ate happily. The taste was perfect; it was indeed one of the best. They had talked more that day and Sanji waited for her to close the shop. When she was ready to go they went to walk around town. To the cook’s pleasure they had kissed the same day. Everything had happened so fast.

Now everything was a mess. He had no idea why she had left him all alone, why she had canceled the wedding, why she didn’t want to be with him.

He came inside and found her with some purchasers. He waited until she was done with them and made his presence known. She looked at him and gave him a sad smile. It was like she had expected his visit.

They didn’t exchange any words and then Jane was closing the shop for them to talk. They walked through the same streets they liked to go when they were a couple. They used to hold hands those times, but now they just looked ahead never once sparing a glance to the other.

They arrived at a park they usually went to and chose a bench to sit and begin talking. Once they were accommodated Sanji didn’t waste any second and asked the only thing that had been in his mind ever since the failure of the wedding.

“Why?” He looked at her as if in her eyes there would be the answer he was looking.

“Because you don’t love me” She contested with a sad demeanor. It was like that was going to be all she would say.

“What are you talking about? I love you” Sanji stated desperately. Jane’s response was the last thing he had expected. He had thought it would be about _her_ not loving him, not the other way around.

“Maybe, but not enough to be married” She stated and then added, “We would never be happy. Not when you…” She didn’t say the last part and just shook her head as if it was better to keep a secret only she knew, leaving  Sanji wondering hopelessly what she wanted to tell him and apparently couldn’t.

“Not when me what? What do you want say?” He said wishing to know what the woman didn’t dare to tell him.

She took her time and looked at him trying to conceal her own nervousness, but failing since it was all too clear for Sanji to see. It seemed that she didn’t want to tell him, but at the same time desired to let go whatever she was holding. It was like she was fighting against herself. He was about to ask again but she put a hand to his lips and shut him.

“You love someone else. Not me”

Some tears fell from her eyes and Sanji didn’t know what to think or say. He was left speechless. What did she even mean with that? She was wrong. There was no one in his mind, only she had his heart. He thought that and yet pictures of his captain made way into his head. He had to be sincere. While he was hurt for not being with Jane, the man always appeared in his thoughts. He still couldn’t get over the kiss or his words, or the look he had when he told him that he didn’t want to see him ever again. He was supposed to be mourning the fact that he wasn’t married with Jane and his mind instead played him tricks making him ponder about Luffy.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jane” He responded to the accusation with a confidence he knew he didn’t have.

She dried the tears with her sleeve and looked at him intently.

“You know exactly what I’m saying, Sanji. Don’t do this to me. Don’t do this to _yourself_ ” She exclaimed with obvious pain lacing her words.

Sanji gulped. For some reason now he didn’t want to look her in the eye anymore. With one glance he knew she would understand everything, she would see through him and discover all that happened. His betrayal would be found out and there would be no chances of them getting back together. He would molder.

“Who is this person you suppose I love anyways? Cause other than you I don’t know anyone else that makes me feel…happy” That was a lie. There was someone else, but he wasn’t about to admit it. Not now, not ever.

He kept looking in another direction to Jane and then felt a hand in his jaw making him turn his face gently. The woman had narrowed her eyes at him. That was it: she knew everything, didn’t she?

“You want me to say it? Are you that stubborn?” Now she sounded completely annoyed by Sanji’s behavior.

“It’s just that I still don’t understand what you’re saying” He kept playing the fool. There was no way he would say who he thought she was talking about. It would mean surrender.

“Luffy. Your captain” She said practically shouting the words. There was so much spite in the way she said the rubber man’s name, so much contempt. She continued, “Do you want me to spell it for you?”

He couldn’t meet her gaze. He tried to avert his eyes but since she had her hand under his chin she kept him steady, negating him the opportunity to escape from her intense stare. While looking directly at him she proceeded to speak from the bottom of her heart.

“I should have known. When you talked for hours about him, and only about him, I should have guessed it was like that” She let go of Sanji and her head lowered. She added, “Once I realized it, it was all too late. I was obstinate and didn’t want to just assume that you felt that way. I thought that with time you would forget, being away from him would make you get over him, but I was so wrong. So incredibly wrong” She began crying once again. It wasn’t a desperate type of cry, but it didn’t seem it would stop for some time.

He was so confused. It seemed everyone close to him knew how he felt expect for him. He needed to know what made her think that way.

“I don’t get why you say that. He was my captain and I spent probably one of the happiest moments of my life thanks to him. It’s obvious I would talk about him because we were together for a long time” He tried to make a point. While it was true that he did talk about him a lot, it was only because he admired the man too much. Nevertheless, it seemed he had exceeded the limit to how much one could speak about someone since everyone thought he was in love with his captain, which wasn’t the case.

“No, Sanji. Aside from you talking a lot about him, you always look so happy when someone mentions him. You aren’t that way with the rest of your crew. You sometimes served me dishes he liked. More than ten years have passed since your journey together and you still can’t get over it”

He wanted to deny everything, to refuse the very idea of him loving the man, the Pirate King, more than how he cared for his crewmates. It was impossible, it was unbearable. He had spent his entire life believing he would end up with a woman and now all said that he had feelings for his stupid captain. He respected the man so much, but he couldn’t love him. No, it wasn’t allowed. He was meant to be as free as the wind, not to be tied to relationships of any sort for too long. He would come and go and that was definitely what he didn’t want. He wanted to form a home with a sweet woman that would understand him. What he wished in the least was to be left alone waiting and waiting for someone that would come eventually, but that wouldn’t be by his side all the time. He wouldn’t be able to withstand it; he was too weak for it.

He was totally freaking out and Jane noticed right away since he had remained quiet after everything she had said.

“Calm down, Sanji. What I’m saying is the truth. You have to accept it”

From nervousness and anxiousness, he went straight to angriness. He just couldn’t believe his ears and what they were listening.

“No, it isn’t like that. Jane, I can’t love my captain. You say all those things but I still think you’re seeing too much into them” He stopped to take a breath and then continued, “Hear me out, okay? You’re just jealous of him because I admire him a lot, but I admire you just as much” He didn’t want to say “and I admire you maybe even more” because it wasn’t true, it would never be.

“Me, jealous? You have to be kidding. You’re the only who is like that. You don’t seem to notice, but when you see the guy with Zoro, you fume” She shook her head and laughed humorlessly. It wasn’t the time to be laughing, but it seemed it was the only thing to do with what was going on. “That’s not admiration, darling. You can’t deny it anymore. Look at the facts”

He wasn’t having none of it. It was too painful, both for her and for him. He wanted to scream that it wasn’t like that, that it would never ever be like that. It was like he had cheated on her since the very beginning, without him noticing, without him wanting to accept it. Was he blind? Was he unable to see the truth? Was because it was all a lie? Maybe they had gotten it all wrong. Yes, that had to be. They were mistaken. They had thought, both Jane and Zeff, that he was in love with Luffy because he showed his admiration too much. If he was able to hide it a little, to contain himself from talking so much about him, from reminiscing the past for too long, they could try again.

“You’re wrong, Jane. Give us a chance, please? We can start over and I will not speak to him. I won’t talk about him with you. I won’t mention his name ever again. Just, please? It won’t be difficult. It will be like those ten years where I didn’t see him for long times and I didn’t…care”

Just thinking about the years he spent without seeing him, without not knowing from him and only finding out about his whereabouts through the newspapers made something in his heart shatter. Something broke inside him. He had a hard time after their voyage, not being sure where to lead his life. He had lacked a light to guide him. Yes, he had found the All Blue, but what would there be to do with everything after all was said and done? He had roamed around the globe with little to no direction until he had encountered Jane. The woman had been his lifeline in a world where he didn’t know his place anymore. Everything after traveling with his crew paled in comparison; there was nothing that would surpass what he had lived with them. So, now being confronted with a truth that he wasn’t even aware of, was a hard pill to swallow.

He felt how tears watered his face. He couldn’t hold it anymore. He had never stopped being a crybaby. He wasn’t sure what he was crying about; if it was because Jane didn’t believe him, or if it was because he didn’t want to love Luffy.

Tears came like the flood and they didn’t seem to stop any time soon. He was cracked; his spirit and soul were stained with pain. Even if he felt like hell he knew he had to be sincere, he had to confess everything that had happened the night before the wedding.

Jane was consoling him with soothing words even if he didn’t deserve them at all. He had made the woman suffer for a long time without noticing.

“It’s okay, Sanji. I don’t get why you don’t accept your love” She said calmly.

“No, it’s not right. I’m supposed to love you, but I failed you” He looked at her and said, “He kissed me the night before the wedding and I kissed him back. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it for much that I want. Is this how love is, Jane?” He asked hopelessly.

“You’re making it too hard on yourself. I knew it was bound to happen sometime. It doesn’t surprise me, to be honest” She stated serene, without a trace of despair or fury for the betrayal. “I think that’s how it works. You’re the expert though. _You_ have to figure it out. I can’t help you with more, now it’s on you”

She stood up from the seat and cleaned a little the dress she was wearing. Then she looked at Sanji, gave him a small smile and went her own way. He couldn’t stop her even if he wanted. He was too perplexed by everything that had happened. What if she was right and he was indeed in love with Luffy? If that was the case, why wasn’t he able to notice it before? Were his feelings always latent or they did bloom after the kiss? Why wasn’t he capable of accepting what Jane and Zeff had pointed out? What was exactly the problem of loving Luffy, anyway? Was he scared that Luffy would wander around the world like he usually did leaving him all alone?

He had so many questions and zero answers. He decided it was best to go look for them.

………………………………….

He had come back to the Baratie to cook and to live there since he was having clearly a bad time. He had lived with Jane in the town in that island back at the Grand line, but now he didn’t have anywhere to go. After he had found the All Blue he had opened his own restaurant and it worked for a few years. He had gotten bored rapidly since serving food for rich people and not his friends had tired him. If he thought it carefully it was probably because Luffy wasn’t there to tell him how delicious it was. His heart skipped a beat just contemplating it. So, he had closed the place and had been tasting different dishes from all over the world to entertain himself. That’s how he had met Jane in the first place.

Of course Zeff had accepted him back without saying anything. He was worried about him though. He wanted for him to be at ease and not feeling down, but that was the state Sanji was currently in.

He would wake everyday early in the morning to prepare things at the restaurant. Then he would start working as a cook like he used to when he was younger. When it was time to close he would go directly to his room to sleep or rest. He didn’t talk much with anyone really, but no one said anything about it and just left him alone. It seemed everyone understood his pain. If only they knew it wasn’t caused by Jane, but by his captain.

He recalled when he had said to Jane that he wouldn’t see Luffy anymore, that he would stop talking about him, that he wouldn’t pronounce his name ever again. Just thinking about it now made his heart clench and his chest to be heavy. Signs like that made it more obvious that what the woman and his father had said was the truth.

He tried to accept it, to maybe even welcome it, but not knowing anything about the rubber man made it impossible for him to admit it. Being left in the blank and the nothingness that was not hearing of the younger male’s adventures from the newspaper or sometimes from some of his crewmates was too painful for him to even consider surrendering to the love that tried to blossom inside his heart. He was the one that had told him to never show his face in front of him, and he was the one that had to suffer for it.

Days passed and they transformed into months and nothing seemed to change in his life. The straw hat crew members always called him at least once a week informing him about this and that but never asking for Jane or if he had met a beautiful woman these days. They also never mentioned Luffy. If they didn’t know anything about him or if they did but preferred to keep quiet was beyond him. He tried to think he didn’t care but was the opposite. He still cared so much.

He had so many questions he hadn’t been able to respond to throughout the months that had gone by, but it looked as if they would be left answered. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe it would get better with time and he would he be able to forget about everything.

One thing everyone at the Baratie had noticed was that he didn’t flirt with anyone anymore. The cooks and waiters thought that it was because he was too hurt to do so, but it was actually because he was confused and mixing more people to the party would be exhausting. He had enough with Jane and Luffy even if both had disappeared from his life entirely. He didn’t have strength to keep up with something like that so looking out for someone new was out of the picture. Also it seemed everyone understood he was still healing and never suggested something like “you should find someone else” to him at all. He was thankful for it.

One week no one from the crew called and he had gotten worried and he was about to call Nami when Zeff announced that he had a visitor. His heart filled with hope that it might be Luffy, but it turned out it was none other than Zoro. What the man could be doing here, thought Sanji puzzled.

He received him and since it was crystal clear that the man wanted to talk with him he led him to his bedroom, where they would be more secluded. Sanji seated in his bed and the other male in a chair. Zoro never appeared for no reason, there was always something that made him go visit his friends. He never showed up to just salute them, it was always with a purpose.

Zoro, as most of the time didn’t want to waste time and told him directly why he was there.

“In case you don’t know I’m here because of Luffy. You should understand that much” He said with a stern voice.

Sanji tried to look surprised but he knew that Zoro would never buy it, no matter what he did. He motioned for the swordsman to continue.

“After some time looking out for him I finally found him. He was kinda hiding himself in a deserted island” He explained to Sanji slowly, giving him all the details he could come up with. “Not gonna lie, he looked terrible. Has been that way ever since the wedding. Hell, probably since even before.

You know that I spoke to him the night before everything but he didn’t listen to what I had to say. I wasn’t able to find him before the ceremony but I could imagine what had happened after talking to you”

He took a breath to keep talking and then proceeded, “I managed to make him come to his senses and he accepted to leave the island he was at, to move to a place…livelier” He waited a few seconds to keep going and for Sanji to get where this was going.

“We talked a lot” He gave the cook a long stare as if to show him with his expression what he was implying. It didn’t seem to work so he added, “He told me what happened that night”

Sanji averted his eyes from the man. That was the last thing he wanted to know. It was enough with just the two of them knowing, he didn’t need anyone more on the equation.

The green haired man seemed to notice his discomfort and quickly said, “Don’t worry. I would never tell anyone”

It didn’t calm him in the least but he liked the fact that the man was willing to understand the situation.

Again Zoro began talking and stated, “He is suffering a lot, and I think that so are you. What’s even more annoying it’s that is for the same reason”

He was against with what Zoro had said. Maybe Luffy was feeling that way for what happened that night, but he…he wasn’t. Okay, who was he kidding? He was in pain too, but he didn’t have anything to do. Was Zoro even sure about that?

“Did…did he tell you that he’s that way because of me” He stuttered. He didn’t want to look pathetic, specially in front of the moss head.

“Yes” Was the simple answer from Zoro.

An uncalled smile formed in his face. It wasn’t that he liked that the man was suffering, it was that he couldn’t believe that the captain actually felt for him so much.

Even if a part of him wanted to be happy he thought back to reality. He wasn’t sure if he liked Luffy anyway. He was too scared to consider the option seriously, and when people (Zeff, Jane and now Zoro) told him to think it over, to reflect what it meant to love him, he shut down and wouldn’t let anyone inside the shell he had fabricated.

They stayed silent for a few seconds until Sanji began feeling pressured and out of air. It was too difficult to think about loving his captain. It meant that his whole life had been a lie, particularly the last years. If he had known before maybe he would have done something, but now as Jane had said it was too late.

“There’s nothing I can do, really” He shrugged trying to make Zoro understand that no matter what he said his thoughts wouldn’t change.

“Of course there is. Just go to him, apologize and kiss him. That’s all there’s to it” He looked exasperated and was completely unconvinced by what Sanji had said.

“It isn’t that simple. I said some very ugly things to him and I don’t even know if I feel that way about him” He said fearing that his real emotions would explode and that he would spill the beans.

The man stood up and took Sanji by the collar.

“Get it together, shitty cook. Stop being a coward and make up your mind already!” He practically shouted.

Sanji was feeling so vulnerable and weak that he only said, “It’s just that I don’t know what good would be to love him” He didn’t fight back like when they were navigating through the seas. “He is always travelling and never settles down. That’s not what I want” He couldn’t believe he was actually telling the moss head all this.

“What do you know if he is going to be like that when you’re together? First you have to be with him, then you can worry” He said angry. Then he added, “The cook that I know would never be stopped by these petty things”

The green haired man let go of Sanji and made his way to the door. He turned around and stated the last thing he had to voice, “Luffy will always be my captain and will not tolerate to see him suffer because you don’t have the guts to do what’s right”

The swordsman didn’t wait for the blonde to stand up from the bed and left the place immediately after uttering those words.

Sanji remained silent and lost in his thoughts. He spent a long time thinking on what to do next. Could be it true that if he left things flow, if he let himself love the captain, they would turn out fine?

He got closer to his nightstand where a framed picture of the Straw hat crew was placed. All of them were smiling. It had been taken after they had finally found the One Piece and everyone had achieved their dreams one way or another. He took the picture carefully and smiled remembering everything and the happiness that couldn’t compare to anything.

He looked at his crewmates faces and recalled the way each one of them laughed. Inevitably his eyes landed on the smile of his captain. He looked back on everything the male did: from his charisma to his never ending smile; from the way he helped people to when he kicked villains; from the way he loved to eat to how he would sleep for days after a long fight; from the smile he usually gave him to the one he made when he had tasted the first plate he had prepared with fishes from the All Blue; from the happy tears that escaped after finding the One Piece to the ones he let out when they parted ways; from the way he had looked so unhappy because he was marrying to the fervor of the kiss they shared.

He felt as tears began rolling down his cheeks. He couldn’t deny it anymore. He loved his captain. He didn’t know when or how it had started but he knew he did. He wished he had noticed before, then maybe he wouldn’t have caused pain to the man or to Jane. Why didn’t anyone tell him? Why hadn’t he realized it sooner? Was it too late now?

He dried his tears with the back of his sleeve and looked in the mirror to see if it was noticeable that he had been crying. He decided he looked fine and decided to go down the stairs to find Zeff.

He encountered the man in the kitchen. He got closer to him and the older cook noticed his presence. He was about to ask what he wanted when Sanji hugged him tightly. Everyone on the kitchen was surprised by what had transpired. Never in their entire time while working on the Baratie had Sanji initiated physical contact of any kind with ex-pirate.

To say Zeff was astonished was an understatement. He looked at his son puzzled by the interaction after Sanji had pulled back from the hug. He gave the blonde a questioning stare but the younger male shook his head and said with a genuine smile, like the ones people hadn’t been able to see in years:

“I’m going to find Luffy”

………………………………..

He should have asked the moss head what island Luffy was staying at because the rest of the crew had no idea. He never called Zoro and he didn’t call him either, since they didn’t get along that well and because the swordsman in the same fashion that the captain traveled around the world without saying where they were. When he was going to get married he had to go find both Luffy and Zoro. It had taken its time, but he had been helped by the pirates from the grand fleet, so it hadn’t been that difficult. Now the situation was different; it was like the man didn’t want to be seen at all. It was like he was hiding despite what Zoro had said about leaving the deserted island to a more populated place. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe him but the Pirate King was nowhere to be found. If the swordsman had wanted to make him go look for Luffy so badly, then he should have told him where in hell he was. Damn it, the guy was so stupid.

He started by going back to the Grand line, passing by every island they had arrived at in their journey but hadn’t been able to find anything. He had crossed the Red line and gotten into the New World to do the same he had done at first. Then as it had been in Paradise nobody knew anything about Luffy whereabouts. He had even reached Raftel since it was a place no one apart from them and a few others could get. He had thought the man would be there and it was his last hope. He wasn’t.

He didn’t know where else to go and was getting desperate. The voyage had taken him more than one month. He wasn’t good at navigating like Nami but he was strong to withstand the dangers of the sea so that wasn’t the main problem. He only wanted to find Luffy and tell him how he felt.

Since the crew knew that he was looking for Luffy they called him every day to inform him if anything new was published in the newspapers or if people had seen him. He had also used the time to visit his friends that were living in the Grand line like Chopper that lived with the old doctor, or Franky and Robin that were married and lived in Water 7, or Jimbei that lived in Fishman Island.

With Chopper it had been easy to lie as to why he was so intent on finding Luffy. He had said that he wanted to make him taste a new plate he had prepared and the deer had fallen for it rapidly. With Franky and Robin it had been dangerous since they weren’t gullible, specially Robin that could read people’s intentions with mastery. He had mentioned the thing with the new dish to connect what he had said to Chopper and not raise suspicions, but he had also added that he wanted to encounter him since he had been put off when he had left before the wedding. The cyborg had believed it, but Robin had stared at him not quite buying it. She didn’t say anything though.

The most problematic had been Jimbei. It wasn’t that he could see through his lie, but that he was so worried. In a way the fishman had been entrusted to take care of the captain by Luffy’s older brother Ace, and that made the Karate expert responsible for his safety even if they had parted ways. To the man Luffy was someone he had to protect at all costs since that was the last wish his friend had at death’s door. He was the last thing both Ace and Whitebeard had secured to make the young pirate keep living.

He felt so incredibly guilty about everything. He was good friends with the man and he would always be a special person to him, so to lie and deceive him while the man was restless about not knowing anything from Luffy was very difficult. He had believed his lie despite being observant and clever. It was probably because he wished that someone would find him soon. He had offered his company at first but Sanji had said that he wanted to talk to him alone and the fishman had understood that he desired privacy.

So, now he was in the middle of the ocean with no clear destination and so many things he wished to say. He began thinking about the other places the man could be. He knew he wouldn’t be in North Blue since he wasn’t too fond of it. West Blue and South Blue were also crossed out of the list since he didn’t know anyone really from there. Maybe that was exactly what he wanted though: to be left alone without no one knowing that he was there. Something in his gut told him that it wasn’t the case. Luffy liked to be surrounded by people, but by talking to Zoro that last time he had discovered that the captain had been in a deserted island and that now was in a livelier place. It couldn’t be a town or city that was famous, it had to be a site that he could be with people, but that no one interfered with his life or cared that he was there. It had to be a locale where he could be himself.

Without thinking it twice he turned the ship he was using around and headed back to East Blue.

…………………………………

He had arrived to Windmill Village at night so no one noticed that he had gotten there. He was sure that if someone recognized him they would go tell Luffy immediately. He didn’t want that exactly. While he indeed wished to see the captain with fervency he was also scared of what would happen between them.

He didn’t know the town at all so he went around to find out if Luffy was really there.

He got to a tavern called Partys Bar and entered it. The place was packaged full with drunks and he wasn’t sure who could answer him an accurate response. He got closer to some guys and asked if they knew if the Pirate King was in town. They looked at each other and after a beat said that he didn’t. It sounded like a lie to him, but preferred not to insist. He then thought it was better to question the manager of the local. He made his way through the men and found a beautiful lady that looked to be in her forties with an old man. He made his presence noticed and the woman offered him to serve him alcohol. He declined and went straight to the point. Again the pair looked at each other and decided to lie. She said that she hadn’t seen him in a long time. He frowned. She asked why he was trying to find him and he declared that he needed to see his captain fast. Both the woman and the geezer were surprised by his statement. After looking at him for some time from head to toe, the woman put a hand to her mouth.

“You’re Vinsmoke Sanji” She said amazed. He only smiled. She continued, “Is anything wrong?”

“Kinda. That’s why I need to talk with him” He stated sincerely. He had to be honest if he wanted to find him.

The woman introduced herself as Makino and the old man as the town’s major. She leaned closer to him as if she was going to tell him as secret.

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea to tell you this, but he got here some weeks ago” Makino gazed at the major again and the man nodded. She added, “He isn’t looking too well. He asked the people’s town to keep quiet about him being here. Since everyone loves him we accepted”

A knot formed in Sanji’s throat. He seriously wanted to see him so much. If they could get into an understanding things could work out at the end. Maybe the pain Luffy was in would subdue.

“Where is he now?” He knew he sounding desperate but he couldn’t care less. The woman looked at him baffled by his sudden outburst, but didn’t comment on it.

“He is staying with his foster family at Mount Colubo. You see those mountains? Go there and you will find the house” She stopped for a short time to dry some cups with a rag. Then she proceeded, “I know you probably won’t be in danger, but there are some bandits in the forests”

“It’s okay. Despite not fighting in a long time I’m still really strong” He said happily after the new information. He smiled at the pair and bid them farewell.

He didn’t wait any minute and left the tavern to enter the forest in the direction of the mountains. He knew he wouldn’t be able to rest or conceal sleep any time soon so he decided to just go find Luffy.

When he was half the way to the mountains some thieves appeared out of nowhere to steal him. With one punch he eliminated them; he didn’t even sweat.

He kept going his way and finally found a humble house. It looked like it was falling apart, but the thought that Luffy had lived there and was currently in the place filled him with emotions similar to nostalgia. It was about four in the morning when he had arrived so he knew he couldn’t just knock on the door and expect to talk with the captain right away. He waited outside the home under a tree. He hoped Luffy with his observation haki hadn’t noticed his presence. He dozed off a little.

He woke up to someone getting closer to him. He didn’t even need to open his eyes to know that whoever it was tried to hit him with a stick. With his eyes closed he held it away from his face. Then he finally opened his eyes and looked at the offender. It was a really small guy that used some sort of cloth on his head. The man was surprised by his actions, but he didn’t want to scare him so he put his hands in sign of peace. The short man asked immediately who he was.

“I was the cook at the Straw hat crew. I was Luffy’s companion” He said and the man made a face of understanding. He let go of the stick after that.

“How do you know of this place? No one knows about it. What do you need?” He stated defensively. It was clear he was unwanted there.

“The lady back at the bar told me. I want to talk to my captain” Sanji said trying to make his desire known.

“He doesn’t want to see anyone. He told us he wanted to rest” The man warned him.

“So it’s like that” He sighed heavily. “I still need to see him. We need to talk and fast. It’s important. Is he here?”

The man seemed to think it over and after scrutinize him he told him, “Yes, he is. He is in really bad mood, though. Are you sure this is necessary?” The man contested worried about Luffy.

He examined the guy’s face and knew that he wasn’t lying at all.

“Yes, I seriously need to. This might help…him…us” He stuttered and felt as his cheeks were burning. The man frowned puzzled by his strange behavior.

“He is still sleeping. Wait for a few hours and he’ll wake up” The man turned around back to the house and made a sign for Sanji to follow him inside the edification. The cook went after him. Then the man looked at Sanji and told him, “Maybe you’re right and he needs a friend’s visit”

Waiting for him to wake up was awful. He was introduced as a crewmate of the black haired man to a big woman named Dadan, who apparently was the foster mom of Luffy and his brothers. She wasn’t too happy about him being there at the home, but didn’t say anything offensive.

They told him that they were bandits and they cared a big deal about Luffy and Sabo. It was obvious that it was a warning that if he ever dared to hurt him he was in big trouble. He liked it though. It was nice seeing that Luffy had a family that had his back. They chitchatted for a while about how he had met the captain and he told them the entire story with a smile plastered in his face. When he was done Dadan narrowed her eyes at him as if she had found out something. He was scared that he was being too obvious of his feelings, so decided to stop talking about his adventures with the captain.

An hour had passed and he felt noise coming from a room. He gulped. His haki and intuition was telling him that it couldn’t be other than Luffy.

The man appeared through a door rubbing his eyes, still trying to wake up. He got closer to the table they were seated and opened his eyes fully. When they landed in Sanji’s form, they widened and his mouth was hanging open without him knowing what to say. Sanji smiled at him sheepishly.

“What…what are you doing _here_?” He had found his voice once again and it seemed he didn’t like one bit what he was seeing. Sanji grimaced.

“I’m here to talk” Sanji said while standing up.

“Why? There’s no need for that. Everything is clear between us” He scowled at him. This was going to be a lot more difficult than what he had expected.

“No, it isn’t. I came here because…because this can’t keep going” He wanted to tell him everything but they weren’t alone so he hid what he was going to say. He looked at Dadan that was listening intently and asked Luffy to talk alone. The man nodded unconvinced.

The woman asked Luffy if he really wanted to go with him, that they could kick him any time he wanted. The captain shook his head and led Sanji outside the house.

They went through the forest and walked away from the house. They remained silent the entire time. Sanji for his part didn’t know what to say to fill the void and Luffy looked extremely annoyed by his presence.

When they were very far away from the home they stopped walking. Luffy looked at him.

“What do you want?” He asked rapidly. It looked that he didn’t want to make this too long.

“I came to see you because…because…” It was hard to just say that he loved him. He had never said it out loud so confessing it now was difficult.

Luffy watched him expectantly. Sanji stood there with his mouth almost numb and not being able to declare all he wanted to say. The Straw hat then turned around and started leaving. The cook stopped him and made him face him. He took a deep breath and began again.

“I came here because I…I love you” He looked directly into his eyes to make his point clear. The man looked surprised.

“What? What are you saying? You can’t…love me” He looked angry and not happy how Sanji had imagined.

“It’s the truth though. I’m in love with you” He got closer to the man and held his arms. “I’m not coming back with Jane. It’s over” He smiled concerned if that would do the trick. It didn’t.

“Who do you think you are? You can’t come here, say those things and expect that I will run into your arms” He stated pissed off. “Just leave me alone”

Okay, this wasn’t going well. What else could he say or do? He tried to lean in and kiss him but the rubber man pushed him away. It was rather unfair. The captain was the one that had kissed him first and now he was refusing him after clearly making his life a mess. He was getting kind of mad, but stopped the emotion by reminding himself that this was also an option.

“I can’t do that. I don’t think I will be able to let go. I…I feel too strong to do that” He came closer again but Luffy wasn’t even looking at him. It seemed he was thinking something profusely.

He raised his gaze and sighed. “You know that it isn’t enough for me to say I love you back, don’t you?”

Sanji was at a loss for words. What did the man mean? Maybe he needed to be courted more? Was it that? He made his decision quickly.

“I can prove you that I can be with you. I will be the best man you will be with!” He exclaimed determined.

Luffy stared at him incredulous and went back to his house.

He knew he needed to keep trying. Maybe not today, but definitely tomorrow or for the rest of his life if needed.

……………………………..

He went back to town and booked a stay in an inn. He was an expert in wooing women so this couldn’t be too different, right?

He spent the night there and got up early in the morning to go to a flower shop to choose the most beautiful flowers for Luffy. He hoped he would like them. He didn’t know if the man was into that kind of thing but decided it was good to try.

The woman that attended the shop asked what he wanted and if it was for a special person. He blushed. The saleswoman understood immediately by his expression and offered him some pink and red roses and some white orchids. He chose the red roses since he knew that they were usually used to show passionate love. The woman took the freshest ones and handed them to him.

He headed to Mount Colubo knowing that it was time for Luffy to be awake. He wanted to know what the man had been doing ever since he said those ugly things to him. He had hidden apparently from what Zoro had told him and from what Makino had said about not wanting people talking of his whereabouts. What did Luffy do in his house? Sparring was out of the question since he was too strong to fight with anyone in that house. Eat like the beast he was could probably be a good option. Did he go to town to walk? Did he walk in the forest while looking at the animals and trees? He wanted to know all about he had been doing so badly.

Without noticing he arrived to the house. He knocked on the door and after some time someone opened it. It was Dadan that looked at him before letting him enter. When he was inside the woman noticed the flowers. She gave him a weird stare.

“Are those for the house?” She asked kind of wary, somehow fearing the answer.

“No. I mean they could be after I…ah…I give them to Luffy” He stuttered the whole sentence. This was the first time he had admitted in some way his feelings for the man to another person other than Zeff. It wasn’t difficult to put two and two together and know that he would give the flowers in a romantic way.

The woman whistled and then sighed. “So that was the problem” She gave him a hard stare. “He has been like that because of you” She motioned for him to sit down and added, “Just get it over quickly”

She went to a room and after a while came back. She went to what he assumed was the kitchen and brought a glass of water, then handed it to him. She signed for him to drink and said, “So that you can talk clearly with him and don’t choke”

He gulped. Despite he being immensely strong the woman was intimidating. Was this like an extreme version of meeting the parents? When he had met Jane’s parents they had adored him even if he was a pirate. Dadan on the other hand didn’t seem to like him at all. Her cold stare indicated that it was like that, but she actually going to look for Luffy so they could talk was reassuring.

They waited a little and through the room that Luffy’s mother had come emerged the captain. It seemed he had been sleeping since he was rubbing his eyes and yawning. He opened them and took notice of Sanji. He frowned and grimaced. The man didn’t want to see him at all.

“What are you doing here? I already told you to leave me alone” He said without preamble.

Dadan then stood up from her chair and made them go out saying that she didn’t want to witness a lovers’ fight. Both Luffy and Sanji blushed madly. The rubber man protested that it wasn’t like but the woman put her hands in her ears to stop listening.

They went outside as they had been told. They started walking through the forest like they had done the day before, but they stopped sooner than the other day. Luffy looked at him and had the same expression on his face. He didn’t like seeing him like that. Then his eyes landed on Sanji’s hands.

He recalled that he had flowers and smiled sheepishly to then hand them to him.

“These are for you” He waited to see Luffy’s expression but it was like he didn’t understand what was going on. He supposed he had to explain since it was unlikely the man knew what it meant. “Red roses represent love…Passionate love” The last part was uncalled for but he needed to be as clear as he could with what he wanted to express.

Colors irrupted in Luffy’s face and he smiled a little without wanting to. That was exactly what Sanji was hoping for. He had liked them. The man noticed after a while that the cook was looking at him expectantly. He frowned again and without saying anything threw the flowers back at him. He scowled with angriness.

“Don’t give me these kind of things ever again!” Then he left the place and Sanji alone.

…………………………….

The next day found him with different flowers. They were pink camellias. He waited outside the door of Luffy’s house a little later to let the man rest. He knocked on the door and someone opened. It was his captain. He looked at him, narrowed his eyes and closed the door immediately.

He couldn’t believe it. Everything would be very difficult by the looks of it. He knocked again and this time it was Dadan that opened. She made him enter and said rapidly that the monkey boy had escaped through one of the windows.

He ran fast trying to catch him and managed to do so. They came to halt and they were both out of breath. If it were a different time he would have laughed. It reminded him of the adventures they had shared together. He smiled while the other man seemed to be annoyed.

“I already told you to stop looking for me” He stared at the cook and noticed the flowers. “I also said that I didn’t want more of those”

“Hear me out, okay? These are pink camellias and they represent yearning and longing for the person you love” He said without a trace of shame. If he wanted for this to work he needed to look convinced that he loved him.

The rubber man’s cheeks tinted a beautiful red in his tanned skin. Sanji’s heart was drumming like crazy. The man tried to hide a grin with the back of his hand but it was impossible. The blonde had noticed right away.

“I don’t like flowers, so stop bringing them” The man lied evidently. He was so terribly bad at deceiving people.

“What do you like then? I can bring whatever you ask” He would go to extremes with women and apparently that also included his captain.

“I like freedom. Leave me alone. I would like that” He gave him a sarcastic smile.

“Okay, so it’s chocolates for tomorrow” He said simply. He wasn’t going to give up on this.

“I’m not going to be here tomorrow. You won’t find me!” Luffy said while sticking out his tongue in a childish way. He then left and went back in the direction of his house. Sanji never followed him since he wanted to give him all the time and space he needed. Things would settle eventually.

He went back to the village and headed directly to Partys bar and looked for Makino. The woman was cleaning some glasses and noticed his presence to smile at him. He waved his hand as a way to salute. She responded with a simple hi. He asked her if there was any good chocolate shop. The lady looked surprised by the question. She also saw the camellias that were now resting in the bar. He hadn’t been able to give them to Luffy.

“There’s only one shop but it’s really good in my opinion” Her stare rested on the flowers for a long time. “Those are some pretty camellias. Are they for anyone?” She winked at him.

“Yes, but they didn’t accept them” He said rather disappointed.

“They must be crazy. They are really beautiful” She declared trying to cheer him up.

“I don’t know. Luffy said he didn’t like them, but he was lying. I’ll try again tomorrow” He needed to show the man that he wasn’t in the least embarrassed of his feelings. That he could love him entirely without a care in the world.

The woman’s eyes widened and she stammered. It seemed that it really caught her off guard. Was he too open about his feelings? Hadn’t he been obvious before? Maybe he should be more careful to who he talked. The woman recovered after a while.

“I never knew he had someone like that! I always thought that he was a lone wolf after becoming the Pirate King. You know, free as the wind!” She exclaimed happily. Apparently she liked the idea. He smiled now unworried about talking freely to the bartender.

“He still doesn’t like me back though. I will insist anyways” He shrugged. The woman smiled at him.

She seemed to ponder something and then said, “Now that I think about it, you were his beloved cook, weren’t you? When he got here for the first time he told us all about his adventures and his crew” She said excitedly, and then added, “He would talk all the time about you”

He was baffled. Did he really talk about him? Or was it that he spoke about all of them without clear preference?  

“He would say how much he missed your cooking. I never imagined he liked you. Maybe it was because to me he will always be this small playful kid that dreamed of being the Pirate King” She said with clear emotion in her voice. It seemed they were really close to each other.

“Did he really talk about me?” He inquired with hope lacing his words.

“Yes. Don’t tell him I said this, but he talked the most about you” She gave a thumb up, while smiling at him.

He choked on air and started coughing. He felt as his face grew hot. Since when really did Luffy feeel that way anyway? Makino gave him some water and he gladly drank it.

“Don’t be so shy. You’re trying to woo him, right?” She asked him entertained. It was like she had waited a long time for this to happen.

“I know. It’s a little difficult for me, but I will handle it just fine” He said with confidence. Since it seemed the woman knew about Luffy’s childhood a lot he wanted to ask her about it. “How was he when he was a kid? Annoying I bet, but what else did he do?”

The woman closed her eyes and the smile she had widened. Then she looked at him directly and began telling him all she could think of. She talked about the times he played and spent time with Shanks, of the time he ate the devil fruit, of the problem he had with some bandits, of how his grandfather had taken him to Mount Colubo, of how he had become brothers with Ace and Sabo, of how he had to bear with Sabo’s death, of how he would train and fight with Ace, of how much he ate, of how fast he grew and that before they knew it he was seventeen and ready to begin his dream.

He was listening intently. It was the first time he heard of Luffy’s childhood since the guy wasn’t prone on talking too much about the past, always thinking of the present and dreaming the future.

He had spent a great deal of time with Makino so after her stories he said goodbye and went to buy chocolates. He looked around town and found the shop by the woman’s directions. It was a small place but it looked cozy. It was perfect to buy some good chocolates. He asked which one were the best and the seller made him taste them. They were really fine so he bought them hoping they would convince the rubber man.

The rest of the day he spent it at the beach of the village. It was a calm site to live. He understood why Luffy had wanted to leave it, and why he had come back. No one paid him any mind even if most of them had finally recognized him. Some people had come closer asking him why he was there but he didn’t tell them anything and just like Luffy had requested for them to keep it a secret. The villagers were really good people and had accepted it easily, so now he didn’t get any stares.

The day passed by quickly and the next morning he was making his way to the man’s house. If it was true what he had said, maybe he wouldn’t be able to find him. It was obvious the captain knew the mountains better than anyone, so if he had really gone outside then it would be difficult to find him.

He knocked on the door and Dadan opened it, looked at him and said, “You again? He left early in the morning to the forest” Then closed the door. He knocked the door exasperated. The woman opened again the door and he asked her desperately if she knew where he could be. She told him that he could be anywhere.

He felt lost. The forest was a big a place and it would take at least half a day to find him. Probably even more since he was hiding again. Why did he have to be so childish?

He went to the north by gut feeling alone. He traveled and shouted Luffy’s name in case he wanted to appear. He didn’t. Seeing as his plan wasn’t working he came back to the house. He waited by a tree the whole day and when the sun was setting he felt a presence. It was the captain.

His second plan had worked and the man was now in front of him. He was scowling mad that Sanji was there and had found him even he had gone around the mountains to escape from him.

“I brought you chocolates” Sanji stated simply. He handed them to him and it looked like he wasn’t going to accept them, but he extended his hand at the last minute. He smiled.

The man opened the box and ate the sweets like an animal. He didn’t leave any for later and for some reason it occurred to the cook that the rubber man was expecting something else. He thought about it and concluded that he was missing Luffy’s flowers.

“I forgot your flowers” He stated apologetically. He would bring them tomorrow.

“I don’t want your flowers! Just leave me alone” He made his way to the house and turned around to finally say, “I only accepted the chocolates cause you can’t waste food!” Then he entered his home and closed the door.

Sanji felt elated. After so many years telling him that, he understood. He was getting emotional and so he preferred to go and come back the next day.

……………………………….

The days turned into weeks and the weeks in months. To be exact two months had gone by since he had gotten at the Windmill Village. He had practically met everyone and now the whole town knew the reason as to why he was there. It was intimidating to have everyone know about it, but they always cheered him up when Luffy turned him down and told him to keep trying. They were really nice people.

To be honest he was exhausted and desperate. He had used all his tricks and didn’t know what else to do. The town’s people seeing as he was reaching a wall offered him help. They gifted him numerous of stuff, from teddy bears to flowers, and from all kind of objects to even beautiful sea shells the kids found at the beach. Everyone was invested in making it work.

They recommended him restaurants to go with Luffy and when the man had refused, they had offered him their own kitchens to prepare home-made food to him being aware that he was a famous cook.

He accepted the food with a guilty face, but had eaten nonetheless. He didn’t say anything about it as he did back in the days and that was disheartening. Sanji wasn’t sure if this could keep up. His biggest fear was that the man would get seriously bored and go out to sea to leave the island.

He had some hope though. Their usual walks now lasted a lot longer and even if they did end up with Luffy leaving angry they would at least talk more. Another good sign was that sometimes they would walk through different places like the beach or even the town. When people watched them they would smile at them. At first the captain hadn’t liked it one bit, but with time he had learned not to care.

He was getting more confident too. Sometimes he would hold his hand and while the first time he did it his eye had gotten blue, now the other man didn’t mind it too much. He didn’t hold it back, but he didn’t protest. Other times he would lean in and try to kiss him. That one didn’t work at all and always ended with an incredibly mad Luffy. He also thought that maybe singing could work, so he would go to his house at night to serenade him. The first time he sang Luffy had poke out from his window and threw him water with a bucket. He had gone back to town soaked wet and defeated. The second time he had done it Dogra had been the one to shut him up. The third time it had been Dadan that appeared through the window to throw him water. He had concluded that it was probably his voice what made it annoying, so he had asked the music teacher from the small village school to help improve his singing.

After a few nights without going to visit Luffy he showed up with his teacher to play the guitar while he sang. That time the captain had listened to the whole song without saying anything or throwing him water. He still said that he needed to sleep and to leave him alone. So to him it had been a rotund success. He had thanked the teacher and had left with high spirits.

Since he had spent so much time in the village he was always welcomed to every place he roamed through the town. He was known as either the Pirate King’s lover or Luffy’s boyfriend. He laughed about the nicknames but denied them since they still weren’t together.

When he wasn’t busy trying to conquer the rubber man’s heart he would help around everyone that asked. At lunch time he would teach the cooks from the island different techniques to prepare all type of plates. He would play with the kids after school time and tell them about the many places he had discovered while on his voyage. Sometimes he would go to Mount Colubo and prepare food for the bandits and they would thank him profusely for what he was doing. He would talk to them, but who he wanted to be closer to was to Dadan. At first she had been wary of him, but with time she had opened up. She would tell him all the anecdotes and troubles Luffy got into with Ace and Sabo. She always looked happy when she talked about them and he was glad he got to hear those cherished moments. Each tale he stored it away in his mind.

He would also play with Makino’s son since she was the closest person he had in the town. And when it was close to night and he got desperate to win over the captain he would go to Makino’s bar and drink rum to calm down and maybe drown the tears.

One day things had been particularly hard between Luffy and him and they had fought. It had been over something really stupid and it wasn’t even worth mentioning, but he had told the whole story to Makino anyways. He didn’t know how the woman put up with his stories. Maybe she was used to listen to that kind of thing.

He was specially down that night so he had drunk alcohol like it was water. He wasn’t a light weight by any means, but he still felt a little tipsy. He told her that he wasn’t sure if he could keep up with what he was doing. He knew there would come a time when even if Luffy accepted him or not he would still have to leave. He didn’t like the idea at all. He had made good friends.

The woman encouraged him to keep trying since it was obvious the other man felt the same way. She tried to reason with him by pointing out that despite sometimes looking annoyed, his demeanor never was of actual anger. That he still smiled when he was with him and that he clearly loved the gifts, the attention, the food and definitely the flowers. That he loved the flowers over almost everything. She said that it never crossed her mind that he would like them, but that it was really sweet. Then she waited a little and told him that she didn’t know why the younger male was so stubborn and didn’t accept him.

Because he was talkative that day he answered that he had been bad to him and that had told him really mean things, but he hadn’t meant them at all. She looked at him worriedly and asked for more details. He had already told her about Jane and what happened with their wedding, but she never asked why they had broken up or who had canceled the marriage.

“The night before the wedding, when we were at my stag party, Luffy was acting strange and I went to him to ask why he was that way. He didn’t tell me right away, but I convinced him to speak to me and he told me that he didn’t want to see me get married”

Makino was staring at him intently and listening carefully to what he had to say. He requested for some beer and the woman gave him some. Then she motioned for him to continue.

“I was so surprised I didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t even sure of his feelings for me, but he kept saying that he couldn’t picture me married. There was no other reason that I could think of other than him liking me” He drank a little from his cup and looked distracted at the bottom of it. “We fought and I demanded for him to make up his mind. Before I knew it he was kissing me and I…I was kissing him back. When he let go I got really scared and started saying really awful things to him; things I didn’t mean. I blamed him for everything and then told him that…that I didn’t want to see him ever again” He put both hands to hold his blond hair. He didn’t dare to look at Makino, afraid the woman would end their friendship immediately.

He heard the woman humming and he could feel his eyes sting as he tried to hold back tears that threatened to fall. He felt a hand in his shoulder and he looked up. Makino was staring at him preoccupied. She had sympathetic smile.

“I’m sure you didn’t mean it. But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s probably still hurt” She seemed to realize something while speaking and as if a light bulb had illuminated she said, “Have you apologized?”

He was speechless. Thinking back to all the time he had passed in the island he didn’t think he had said sorry even once. Was that the problem? Was Luffy still hurt after their fight? Could he really blame him? He had said things to harm him because he was frightened by the idea of having cheated on Jane. He was marrying the woman the next day, first thing in the morning and he had gone and kissed the captain with a passion he never thought he could muster.

“No, I haven’t. Not even once” He looked at the woman wondering if what she said was the solution to be with the man. “Do you think that’s the problem?” His voice held hope when he asked.

The bartender simply smiled and nodded.

……………………………

He had wanted to apologize to Luffy right at the moment when he had found the possible reason as to why the man was so against them being together. The alcohol gave him courage and confidence to go ask for forgiveness, but according to Makino it wasn’t a good idea since Luffy was probably sleeping and that he was too drunk to actually articulate a proper sentence. It was true that he had consumed a little more than what he usually drank, but he hadn’t felt that wasted. Since he trusted the woman enough to believe her he opted to go in the morning as she had advised. Then she had seen him off to the inn.

He had woken up to a headache. So then he had been indeed drunk. It wasn’t an earth breaking pain but he could tell it was the effect of the alcohol in his system. He decided to get up and went to shower. He got ready to do the usual: prepare some food for him, go out and say hi to the people that he encountered and cheered on him, buy some fresh flowers, and then walk up the forest to get to the man’s home.

He did everything as he had planned. The only exception was that instead of asking for flowers that represented love, passion or longing he requested one for forgiveness and compassion.

When they were ready he paid the flower shop owner, but the woman had declined the money and had only smiled. Was he being obvious about everything?

He went up to Mount Colubo through the forest as he had done for the last two months. He walked slowly thinking about all he had to say and how he needed to make everything clear. He knew this was his last chance. At first he had thought he could live his entire existence trying to pursue Luffy, but it wasn’t possible. If the man didn’t want him then he had to accept it, even if there were signs that it wasn’t the case, but maybe he had his own reasons and he had to be mature enough to understand him. He would be the man Zeff had raised.

He arrived at the house and headed to knock on the door. Before he did, he took a deep breath and stilled himself for what was about to happen. Maybe this would be his last day here.

The cook finally knocked on the door and waited for someone to open. It was Dadan that came out. She saw him and smiled at him. She gave him a weird look as if noticing how nervous he was. The woman didn’t let him enter and shouted for Luffy to come receive his guy. She really liked to say that.

The captain came fast and went outside the house. Before closing the door Dadan wished them good luck. It was the usual until she said, “You will need it”

The cook was sweating and after listening to what the woman had said he gulped. Luffy was staring him but didn’t tell him anything.

They had been going to the Windmill Village for the whole week, but Luffy noticed Sanji’s state and lead them to walk through the forest as they had done the first times. They went a long way and it seemed the younger male didn’t want to stop any time soon. It reminded him of the first time he had come.

When they reached a spot where light shone brightly through the trees Luffy stopped. He looked at him with more curiosity than the usual animosity he first showed to the more placated cheeriness he tried to hide to no avail. It was like he was aware that something was going to happen since his stance was one for fights or when he needed to pay attention to something closely.

Sanji looked at him and offered him the food he had made but told him not to eat it yet. The man stared at him puzzled. Nevertheless he did as was told. He didn’t say anything knowing that Sanji had more to speak.

Then the blonde handed him the flowers gently. The black haired man received them and sniffed the fragrance as he normally liked to do. He waited for the explication of the meaning they held. He also liked to listen to it given by his attentive expression.

“Here are some daisies that represent loyalty and love; some forget-me-nots that symbolize fidelity; and mallows to ask if you still love me” He had been looking at the bouquet at first but when he asked if he still loved him he stared directly into Luffy’s eyes. The other man had blushed profusely.

He didn’t wait for an answer and continued, “These flowers together are to ask for forgiveness. I’m sorry, Luffy. I wish I could take back everything I said but I know that’s impossible so I just want to apologize” He was being the most sincere he had ever been in his entire life. “There’s no way I would ever, ever not want to see you. You’re everything to me”

Luffy looked down at flowers again and took in their essence. He was focused on them and while he was silent Sanji was dying inside not knowing if the man had accepted his apology or not. He asked.

“Are we okay, Luffy?” He thought better and corrected himself. “No, are _you_ okay?”

The rubber man lifted his gaze to look at Sanji. He smiled widely. “Yes, I am...We are”

He didn’t know how to proceed after his apology had been approved. Did this mean they would be together? He preferred not to question it for the time being.

They sat down in the grass and Luffy opened his lunchbox even if there were still hours remaining to be lunch time. He saw all the food which consisted mostly of meat and some rice. The man took his fork, picked a piece of the meat and nibbled on it. Sanji asked absentmindedly if the plate was good out of custom. He was observing some birds that had a nest on one of the trees. He was used to never hearing a response to his question. It had been like that ever since their fight, but now he heard a small sob. He turned his face to Luffy’s side and found the man chomping the slice of meat while tears ran down his face. He asked right away what was wrong. The man kept staring straight ahead and simply stated, “It’s delicious”

……………………………..

He woke up that morning feeling great. Nothing could make him stop smiling. In a few hours he would be married. This wasn’t going to be like the last times. The one who always ruined his weddings somehow would be the one marrying him after all.

Two years had passed since the beginning of their relationship. Now they were taking the next step. He wasn’t too sure if it was needed, but Luffy had insisted in a possessive way. He didn’t mind it too much anyways, but the captain, his captain, had requested it. He had said that, for all the times he had seen Sanji almost getting married, now it was his turn to try.

They had chosen the Windmill Village for the ceremony since it was there where their love story had begun. Well, not exactly, but it was definitely the place where it had taken form.

When they had finally gotten together they had decided to travel around the world. It had been an uproar for the rest of the public to know of the Pirate King’s whereabouts since they hadn’t seen him for quite some time. He appeared in some cities and islands accompanied by the cook and everyone were on high alert. The Marines had taken measures to control their activities since they thought the Straw hat crew was again looking for trouble. They weren’t delayed in the least because they were too strong to be contained. So, they kept going from island to island, looking for adventures and tasting food as both liked to.

What at first had been taken as something dangerous for the Navy, then it had grown to be a habit to see those two together. At the beginning everyone was wary, but soon they learned that they meant no real harm and that they were in a journey. Everyone that was fond of the crew asked when the rest of the crew was going to join the voyage. They had lied at the start, but then they didn’t need to say anything since it was obvious they would be by themselves.

People hadn’t thought too much about the two men going around the world together and visiting places, but when time passed and passed and no information of new affairs from Sanji came they commenced suspecting that there was something going on. They didn’t show too much affection in front of people, but it wasn’t like they had agreed on it; it was just like it was.

It had been kind of tiring having to answer to unknown people what exactly their relationship was. So, one day in Loguetown, the town of the beginning and the end, he had grabbed Luffy and kissed him senseless. The man had been happy as he always was and didn’t ask or accuse him of anything. He knew that the reporters had gasped like they had found the One Piece. The photo came in the front page of the newspaper the next day. He had expected that much.

Some of their crewmates knew of them being a couple before the news and the rest had found out with the photo. All of them had been so happy. The last one to know evidently had been Zoro. Since the man was always training in faraway towns he hadn’t known about anything.

Sanji had a lot to thank Zoro about. If it hadn’t been for him he would never have been brave enough to reach out for Luffy. When they encountered each other he tried to fight a little bit less than usual and use actual fresh and new ingredients to cook. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

Considering the matter that had worried Sanji so much about the captain never wanting to settle down he had been in the wrong completely. The man wanted to know his wishes and dreams for the future. He had told him that he desired to settle down and form a family. He had understood and asked if they could do that after traveling the world again. The cook had then been worried about what came after their journey since one of his fears was being left alone while Luffy went from one place to another. He had voiced his apprehensiveness about the topic and the captain had said that he would never leave him alone. That he would have to go with him when that happened. Sanji had laughed for the man’s way of thinking was really simple. Luffy then had said that when they did have family all of them would travel together. To hell with schools! They would learn what was necessary at the sea by living. He looked at him stunned and kissed him to show him how many emotions he provoked inside him.

Having all of that clear made the cook relax for the upcoming event. He wouldn’t screw up this time. There wasn’t any stag party and no one except their close ones was invited. He wouldn’t be listening to any claims of undying love aside from the ones Luffy declared each morning after waking up. He didn’t need to flirt one last time with anyone for he had all he required back at home.

He got up and went to the bathroom of the same inn he had stayed at the first he had come. They had rented the entire place and some other hostels to receive everyone that was attending the wedding. He was practically family with the owners of the inn so of course they were invited. The whole town was going actually.

The village was like celebrating a festival and many had their presents ready for the wedding. They welcomed the pirates and the princesses that arrived at the port with joy and enthusiasm. The town had never been as full as it was now, but no one seemed to mind. Not even the major that was always so severe with Luffy for being an outlaw.

When he was ready and dressed for the wedding that would be held at eleven o’clock, under Luffy’s orders so they could eat early, he looked at the mirror and smiled. He recalled that he had done the same thing before marrying Jane but that this time he had actually grinned instead of grimacing. He adjusted his tie and while he was busy remembering the vows he would be saying someone knocked on the door. He went to open and see who it was. Zeff was standing outside his door. He let the man come inside.

The older cook was notoriously emotional unlike the last time. He thought that the reason was obvious; this time he would be marrying the person he truly loved. It seemed the man had something to say so he waited for him to start. The man crossed his arms and began.

“So, three times is the charm?” He said jokingly with a playful expression. Then he added, “You’re not gonna get cold feet, right?” He sounded worried but it didn’t seem that he actually thought that it was a possible outcome. It was more like he was more nervous than really preoccupied. Sanji laughed.

“Of course not. How could I do that to my captain, crap geezer?” He said amusedly. To him it was rather fun to see the man looking so distressed over the wedding. This time it was the real deal. No turning back.

“That’s good, little eggplant! Can’t be having the King of Pirates furious, you know?” He said more relieved.

“I wouldn’t even dare. Last time I annoyed him he didn’t want to talk to me for about five months. If I hadn’t gone to look out for him it might have been for eternity” He sighed. That time he had really screwed up. It was good he had been strong enough to keep trying even when the devil fruit user didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

The man came closer to him and hugged him showing him the affection he had for him as his father. He hugged back and was almost on the verge of tears. He didn’t want to cry so soon so he let go after a while a smiled widely at the man who did the same. Then he excused himself and left the room to go to the church. Sanji looked at the hour and it was forty minutes before eleven so he waited a little to head to the temple.

He was going to be the one receiving the people attending the ceremony and the one that would wait at the altar for the other to appear at the church’s entrance at the last minute. To determinate who would do what they had played rock, paper and scissors. Luffy had won and had said that he didn’t want to salute anyone really or do any waiting since he couldn’t keep quiet. He also hadn’t wanted to do any of the above, specially the waiting part; he still was traumatized by the events that had transpired in his second wedding and didn’t want to recall how after expecting for his bride to show up she had left him at the altar. He had almost voiced those thoughts but had decided to remain silent since it could be interpreted that he was afraid Luffy might do the same and he knew that wouldn’t happen at all.

He went down to the first floor of the inn and made way to the church. He encountered some people in his path and all of them waved their hands to him and said that they were almost ready to go to the ceremony. By the clothes they wore it was obvious they were excited for what was about to happen.

He got to the church twenty minutes before eleven and greeted the priest. He met with his crew that was waiting outside looking expectantly for him. All of them looked happy and some were even crying. Those were Usopp, Chopper and Franky, the cyborg being the loudest. Nami for her part was holding back tears. The rest were just fine, except for Zoro that somehow looked anxious. Sanji concluded that since he cared for the captain so much he felt that way because this was indeed life changing. He didn’t want to comment on it and simply grinned at them.

When it was fifteen before eleven people began coming like the flood and he had to receive each one of them. They brought presents and left them in a big table that with luck was capable of resisting the weight. Then when it was five minutes before eleven, Zeff got outside the church and called for him to wait at the altar with him.

It really was happening. He was marrying Luffy. It wasn’t a dream.

He got inside and waited for a long time. He had supposed that the man would take his sweet time since he wasn’t known for being particularly responsible, but with each minute that passed the more worried ha became. Thoughts that the man had fallen asleep, or that he had been ambushed or even that he had gotten scared or bored and decided to leave him plagued his mind. His father that stood by his side put a hand in his shoulder to calm him down.

Forty minutes took for Makino’s son to come screaming that the Pirate King was getting there. The high tension that enveloped the atmosphere was cleared and everyone stood up to see the man entering.

The cook saw two figures getting closer to the entrance and then he could distinguish Luffy and his grandpa Garp escorting him. The captain wore his usual hat and a large red coat with gold ornaments on its sides and shoulder pads. Inside it he was wearing a black vest and a white pristine shirt. His pants were also red and they actually covered his whole legs. He still wore his sandals though. The man was smiling the entire way.

He looked amazing. Stunning was cutting it short. Beautiful was too common and gorgeous wasn’t enough to describe him. He was at a loss of words.

The rubber man began walking the aisle and people clapped with enthusiasm. He kept looking at him, gawking at the sight. Zeff hit him in the head so he could stop. He was again focused and watched as the man got to the altar with the retired Vice Admiral. The older man gave him a once over and said, “I didn’t raise him to marry a pirate” When he was turning around to go seat at the benches he added, “Take good care of him”

Sanji smiled and exclaimed, “Sure thing, Sir”

Then he got to see Luffy and the man was looking at him with a smile. He had wanted to kiss him but since that was supposed to happen after the actual wedding he decided it was better to wait. He saw Zeff going back to the chairs.

They turned around to face the priest and the man expected for there to be silence and when the people stopped talking he began the ceremony.

“Friends and family we’re are here reunited to witness the marriage of Black leg Sanji and Monkey D. Luffy”

He then started speaking of the responsibilities they had after getting married. Their roles as partners for life and what it really meant to be a couple. He was listening intently unlike Luffy that was clearly dozing off. He could get mad but knew that this was the man he had chosen and there was no changing him. He almost wanted to laugh. He noticed that the officiant was obfuscated by Luffy’s attitude and with a chuckle shook him gently.

The guests noticed and started laughing loudly. The captain focused again and apologized with a small shrug. The man didn’t seem to be too happy about it but proceeded.

Then he motioned for them to recite their vows. Sanji wanted to start so he began. He took the man’s hands and commenced.

“I, Sanji, take you, Luffy, to be my husband. You rescued me from so many things and gave me the opportunity to know you, to accompany you and to be close to you. You gave me the chance to fulfill my dreams; dreams that always seemed so far away but that were accomplished by being with you”

He felt as emotion was welling up inside him and a knot was forming in his throat. He gulped to dampen his dried gullet and continued to speak. He coughed a little and kept on.

“I can’t imagine a life without you. Not now, not ever. You’re my everything and while it took me too much time to notice it, I would never change a thing of our story; it’s what makes us unique, what makes us special. So, I want you to know that I love you and that I will always do, be it in health or sickness, richer or poorer, Captain and cook, until death do us part”

Luffy gave him one of those smiles that reached his eyes and made him close them because the happiness was so much he couldn’t express it any other way. He gave Sanji a light squeeze with his hands and then started with his own vows.

“I, Luffy, take you, Sanji, to be my husband. I love you and your cooking, so please keep giving me food until death do us part”

Everyone laughed again. He saw as the captain stood there being evidently done with what he had to say. He laughed gladly because he knew this was the man he was marrying. He nodded and took one of Luffy’s hands close to his face and kissed it sweetly.

The officiant had waited for the man to continue his speech, but after some time he realized that the guy had finished. Then he proceeded with the ceremony. With a smile he added the last part of the marriage.

“I now pronounce you husbands”

The whole church was cheering and they started demanding for the kiss. The priest then said, “You might kiss”

And they did. They got closer and their lips touched with intention. It was short and chaste. Not like the ones they shared when they were alone, that were filled with passion and fervor, like the one that had driven Sanji crazy the first time; the one that had begun everything.

They separated and then hugged tightly. People kept celebrating their union by yelling and shouting good things and their best wishes for the new weds. When they stopped embracing each other Sanji noticed that more people from the Straw hat crew was crying. To Chopper, Usopp and Franky added Nami, Robin, Brook and Jimbei. The only one who wasn’t crying was Zoro and not by a huge margin, since it was obvious the man was moved.

He also noticed how both families were sobbing. Dadan, Dogra and the rest of the bandits with Makino, Garp and Sabo were all crying their eyes out. For his side Zeff and the cooks at the Baratie were trying to hide that they were weeping, but it didn’t work at all and tears just kept coming to no end.

When it was time for them to leave the church and go to where the party was being held they walked the aisle together hand in hand. People waited for them to get outside and then started following them to the place.

It was going to be outdoor since there were too many guests invited to the party. The site was located at the periphery of the town and it wasn’t difficult to get there. They walked a few rounds on the town to wait for the rest of the people to arrive at the frolic.

Some time passed and they decided it was probably enough lieu for the attendants to reach the place. When they got to the party they were received by some many people it was incredible. Tables and tables stretched in the field, filled with all kind of foods and the ones that were on the sided to decorate the place were packaged to the rim with flowers of all type of colors. The gifts people had given them were all placed carefully in a board.

Everyone waited for them to seat down at their large table with the closest ones to the family that consisted of Zeff, Garp, Sabo, Dadan and the Straw hat crew.

When they were accommodated Luffy had tried to eat from the huge plate of meat that was in front of him. Sanji scolded him since they had to give a little speech before actually eating. He stood up and said a few words about how happy he was to be with his friends and family next to them in that important moment of their lives and then he motioned for the people to commence eating.

He was about to sit down when Luffy stood up quickly, gave him a peck on the lips and screamed at the top of his lungs, “It’s a party!”

The guests cheered with clamor and began eating from the many dishes displayed in the tables. The married couple sat down and Luffy devoured all the meat that was in his plate like a beast. Sanji looked at him with a fond smile.

Unlike the wedding with Jane, this time he had been in charge of cooking at least the first dishes. He had been the one to prepare the meat but didn’t roast it since it needed to be cooked at the time to eat. He was also the one that had baked the wedding cake. It wasn’t that he thought too highly of himself, but this was the best one he had ever made. When they had to cut it with Luffy and the man would taste it, he knew he would go crazy.

He kept his stare resting on his captain’s figure until Luffy looked at him and offered him some of his meat. He must have really loved him to do something like that, since he didn’t do that at all. He refused and the man then told him, “This meat is great. It was done by you, wasn’t it?”

He nodded and ruffled the rubber man’s hair fondly.

“I knew it. No food of yours can get past me, Sanji” He stopped eating and looked at the cook with loving eyes and said, “You’re going to be the best husband there ever was”

Sanji felt the blush that crept on his face, but liked a lot what the man was saying. He then remembered that he had a gift for Luffy.

He had asked the lady at the flower shop to give him the most beautiful flowers she had. He had wanted to pay but the woman had refused and said that it was her present for the couple. Then she stated that she would bring them to the party.

He got up excusing himself and went to the saleswoman’s way. He found her and they headed for one of the tables where the flowers laid hidden behind another bouquet. She handed them to him and explained the meaning they held. He came back to the table with the flowers behind his back as to surprise Luffy. He came to a halt and waited for the man to stop eating and notice his presence. Some time passed and he perceived that now everyone was staring at them. He got nervous and then the Pirate King looked at him with curiosity. He revealed the flowers that were in his back and offered them to Luffy. The bouquet consisted of pink flowers.

The man accepted them with a huge smile and took in the fragrance and as always waited for Sanji’s explication of the meaning of flowers.

“The pink tulips represent perfect and eternal love, like the one I feel for you; pink peonies to show sincerity and real feelings; and pink lilies to demonstrate the fondness and tenderness I hold for you”

Luffy put the flowers down at the table carefully and stood up to hug Sanji. He felt as the man sobbed and he began soothing him with his words. The more the captain cried, the more he wanted to do the same.

When the pirate calmed down he let go of Sanji and smiled at him while holding his hand. The cook smiled back at him and when they were going to seat down noticed that practically all the attendants were crying. Then they began clapping and shouting again. They laughed with mirth and sat down to continue with the party.

Time went by and it was the moment for the first dance of the new weds. They stood up and waited for the music to start. Brook was the one that was in charge of playing the music for their first dance. The skeleton began playing the violin and Sanji held Luffy by the waist. The other man put his arms around his neck and they started to sway at the rhythm of the music. It was a slow piece and for a while it seemed they were on their own world. Then Luffy began dozing off since it was too slow for him and Sanji shook him to wake him up. When he focused again he asked loudly to Brook to play something livelier. The musician agreed and the center of the place got full of people dancing to the many songs Brook and the band from the town played.

Luffy wanted for the party and celebrations to last the entire week, but Nami reminded him that the tradition was to spend the first night together as husbands on their own. He accepted grudgingly, but then Sanji smiled at him and the man seemed to realize what that meant. He blushed and hid his face in the nook of the cook’s neck.

When it was about three in the morning Luffy was almost sleeping after having eaten and danced like there was no tomorrow. Sanji decided it was time for them to go to the inn to spend the night. He told the captain and the man nodded and let himself be led to the place.

The ones that weren’t drunk or passed out from eating or dancing too much bid them farewell and wished them good luck.

They arrived at the inn and made their way up the stairs to enter the room they had booked. Once inside they closed the door and without preamble they started kissing. This time it was with fervor and heat since they were by themselves. They only stopped to breathe and then they continued.

Sanji feeling brave pushed Luffy into the mattress to keep kissing him. The man gladly took the chance to continue. They kept on for a while and when Sanji felt that he was going crazy he put his right ear to listen to the man’s heartbeat. It beat loudly and he stayed in that position for a while until he felt how they evened. He looked up worried that maybe Luffy had gotten bored because he wasn’t kissing him, but all he found was that the Pirate King was fast asleep in his first night of marriage.

“This idiot” He said out loud, but without evil intention. He chuckled and then took out the man’s shoes so he could sleep comfortably. He took out his too and pulled the blankets over them to catch some sleep.

His last thoughts before drifting off to sleep were of all the moments he had spent with Luffy by his side and how he had changed his life completely. Of all the times they had hurt and all the times they had healed their scares together. Of their first kiss and how that had turned his life upside down. Of the time they had fought and the time he had spent in Windmill Village trying to woo him. Of all the flowers he had gifted Luffy.

Roses for love, daisies for loyalty, orchids for sensuality, camellias for passion, white carnations for fidelity, honeysuckle for mutual love. Chrysanthemum to show eternal love; white clematis to get to your heart; dahlias for gratitude; and red geraniums because I can’t get you out of my mind. Blue hyacinth to show how much I love the hope you give me; sunflowers because I admire you; violet so you can love me; jasmine for a pure love; and myrtle to show true love.

He had learned the meaning of so many flowers, his mind wasn’t even close to remembering all the ones he had given Luffy. He only knew he liked them a lot. He never would have imagined that someone as rough as the captain would cherish something so delicate. When they weren’t together Dadan had told him that he took care of them until they withered. And when they were just boyfriends traveling around the world he put them in vases on the ships.

He looked at Luffy’s sleeping form and closed his eyes again, then he felt the man snuggling him. He put his arms around him and kissed his head softly.

He sighed happily. He couldn’t believe he was actually with this man. No matter how much time passed, he would always be by his captain’s side, cooking him and giving him flowers.

He wanted to tell him how much he loved him but knew that they had their whole lives to do so. He could wait for tomorrow.

With one last image of Luffy’s smiling face on his mind he felt as his conscience began fading into sweet, sweet sleep.

THE END


End file.
